Pesto

Author: Dean Rouseberg Time for reading: ~0 minutes Last Updated: January 27, 2026

Thanks to basil and garlic, pesto sauce has a number of beneficial properties for the body.

Pesto is a popular sauce of Italian cuisine, originating from the city of Genoa in the Liguria region (hence the common name pesto genovese ).

In the traditional pesto recipe, the main ingredients are basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan . The sauce is a wonderful addition to a number of Italian dishes - spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna and salads.

Basil, the main "culprit" for the color and aroma of the sauce, has a number of healing properties. This herb has a strong antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect , helps with rashes, swelling, fatigue, depression, respiratory diseases.

Due to olive oil, parmesan and pine nuts, pesto is high in calories. The sauce contains a lot of fat, but most of it is unsaturated and is actually good for the cardiovascular system. In addition, pesto is rich in many vitamins and minerals , including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium.

Contraindications: Some variants of pesto, commercially available, contain too much sodium - up to 500 mg in a portion of 1/4 tsp. Therefore, it is best to make homemade pesto with fresh, natural ingredients.

Pesto

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